Midweek mixology to elevate your weekdays

Today’s cocktails are as much about flavour and ingredients than alcohol levels. Mixologists are using a growing spectrum of once-forgotten herbs and spices, combining them with new ingredients to create lighter, more fragrant flavours. So what if it’s a school night? We won’t tell.

Ginger spice

Ginger is riding high as a cocktail ingredient, lending some warmth and comfort as the nights draw in.

Gordon’s Gin has a super-simple recipe for a fresh take on the Gin Fizz. Simply thinly slice a piece of root ginger and bruise three or four slices in the bottom of a highball. Add 50ml gin, 2 tsp caster sugar and plenty of ice. Add a dash of Angostura Bitters, two squeezes of lemon and top with ginger beer.

*To make the cinnamon syrup, add 4 cinnamon sticks to 475ml water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, simmer for 10 mins before removing the cinnamon sticks. Return the water to a boil, add the sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cool.

Bourbon Chai Toddy

For chilly evenings, a warming chai toddy is a fresh take on that old favourite, the hot toddy. The Bourbon Chai Toddy is the stand-out cocktail at Alabama’s historic Cotton Row Restaurant, which has been serving Southern belles since 1821.

Prepare a hot chai tea and pour one measure into a large glass. Add a measure of bourbon, half a measure of Cointreau and a splash of bitters. Sweeten to taste with honey and garnish with cinnamon sugar and a twist of orange.